Jamaica is bracing for what could be the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the country.
Hurricane Matthew is a category five storm – the most powerful type – and has been intensifying with wind speeds now up to 160mph.
Meteorologists expressed surprise by the speed with which Matthew has increased in ferocity.
The storm, the strongest in the Atlantic region since 2007, is expected to hit the southern coast of the island by Monday. There are also fears it could affect other countries in the area.
Jamaicans have been stocking up on drinking water and supplies in preparation for a violent period of weather, which could include storm surges, flooding and landslides.
Matthew is expected to make landfall on the southern coast and could hit Kingston, the country's capital, and Jamaica's only oil refinery.
Local disaster coordinators, the police and military have been put on standby and shelters are being opened throughout the island.
"The government is on high alert," said Robert Morgan, director of communications at the prime minister's office.
"We hope that the hurricane does not hit us, but if it does hit us, we are trying our very best to ensure that we are in the best possible place."
Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist, said: “Should Matthew stay on its current projected path, it would be a near-worst-case scenario for Jamaica.
“No hurricane as strong as Matthew has ever made landfall in Jamaica in recorded history.”
The storm has drawn comparisons to 1988’s Hurricane Gilbert, which killed 49 people and caused widespread destruction in the country.
Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the hurricane centre in Miami, told AP: "Hurricane Matthew could rival or possibly exceed Gilbert if the core of the strongest winds does actually move over Jamaica. There is no certainty of that at this point."
Matthew is also the closest a category five hurricane has ever come to South America, Mr Holthaus said.
The storm already killed one person in St Vincent and the Grenadines earlier in the week, when a 16-year-old boy was crushed by a boulder as he tried to clear a blocked drain.
Colombia has also issued tropical storm warnings for its Caribbean coast after experiencing extremely high tides, storm surge and heavy rain.
Local TV broadcast images of cars and tree trunks surging though flooded streets in coastal areas and reported that at least one person died because of flooding.
The strongest winds of Matthew are double those of Hurricane Earl, which hit Belize in August at around 80mph, causing significant damage.
Category five hurricanes have the potential to cause “catastrophic” damage, according to the National Hurricane Centre.
“A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse," the centre's description of the expected damage says. "Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
The storm is also forecast to skim past the southern coast of Haiti on Monday. The country has been hard hit by natural disasters in the past, and officials said preparation efforts were focused in the south of the country.
"We will prepare with drinking water for the patients, with medication, with generators for electricity, available vehicles to go look for people at their homes," said Yves Domercant, the head of the public hospital in Les Cayes in the south.
In Cuba, residents of the eastern coastal city of Santiago de Cuba said they were tracking the news closely, although skies were still blue.
"We don't know yet exactly where it will go, so we're still waiting to see," said Marieta Gomez, owner of Hostal Marieta, who was following the storm closely on TV and radio. "We Cubans are well prepared."
Cuba has a strong track record of keeping its citizens out of harm's way when storms strike.
Reuters contributed to this report.
